Unit 12
Time
After-Class Reading
PASSAGE I Social Time: The Heartbeat of Culturem
Proper Names
Anglo
adj. 盎格魯的(Anglo-作形容詞前綴，表示「與英國<人>有關的」。美國人中有許多是有英國血統的，故該詞也適用於本文。)
Brazilian
巴西人
adj. 巴西人的
Henry David Thoreau
(男子名)梭羅(美國作家，超驗主義運動的代表人物)
Niteroi
尼泰羅伊(巴西東南部港市)
Rio de Janerio
裡約熱內盧(巴西東南部港市)
New Words
annoying *
adj. making one feel slightly angry or uneasy 討厭的，惱人的
e.g. He was making an annoying noise by tapping on the glass with his fork.
briefly *
adv. using very few words 簡短地
e.g. She told them briefly what had happened.
chord *
n. 弦
conception *
n. a general idea that you have in your mind 概念
e.g. He had a conception of how he wanted things arranged.
consistently *
adv. 一貫地，一致地
e.g. He consistently got marks of over 90.
drummer *
n. someone who plays drums 鼓手
honesty *
n. the quality of being honest 誠實，正直
e.g. I insist on complete honesty with the people in my life.
inaccurate *
adj. 不準確的
e.g. To call their relationship "love" is inaccurate.
informal *
adj. 非正式的
e.g. The atmosphere at work is fairly informal.
latecomer
n. 遲到者
nearby *
adj. 附近的
e.g. He took the bag and tossed it into some nearby bushes.
oversimplify *
v. describe or explain something too simply 過於簡單化
e.g. We must be careful not to oversimplify the issue.
stumble *
v. walk unsteadily and often almost fall 跌跌撞撞地走; speak in a hesitant manner 結結巴巴地說
superb *
adj. extremely good; excellent 極好的
e.g. The children's library is superb.
terribly *
adv. very, extremely 非常地，極度地
e.g. They were terribly pleased to see you.
undergraduate
adj. 大學本科生(階段)的
vagueness *
n. 模糊
e.g. The vagueness of the statement enabled both sides to claim moral victory.
Social Time: The Heartbeat of Culturem
"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer." This thought by Thoreau strikes a chord[1] in so many people that it has become part of our language. We use the phrase "the beat of a different drummer" to explain any pace of life unlike our own. Such colorful vagueness reveals how informal our rules of time really are. The world over, children simply "pick up" their society's time concepts as they mature. No dictionary clearly defines the meaning of 「early」 or "late" for them or for strangers who stumble over the annoying differences between the time sense they bring with them and the one they face in a new land.
I learned this a few years ago, and the resulting culture shock[2] forced me to search for answers. It seemed clear that time "talks." But what is it telling us?
My journey started shortly after I accepted an appointment as visiting professor of psychology at the federal university in Niteroi, Brazil, a small city across the bay from Rio de Janeiro. As I left home for my first day of class, I asked someone the time. It was 9:05 a.m., which allowed me time to relax and look around the campus before my 10 o'clock lecture. After what I judged to be half an hour, I glanced at a clock I was passing. It said 10:20! In panic[3], I broke for the classroom, followed by gentle calls of "Hola[4], professor"and "Tudo bem[5], professor?" from unhurried students, many of whom, I later realized, were my own. I arrived breathless to find an empty room.
Frantically, I asked a passerby the time. "Nine forty-five" was the answer. No, that couldn't be. I asked someone else. "Nine fifty-five." Another said: "Exactly 9:43." The clock in a nearby office read 3:15. I had learned my first lesson about Brazilians: Their timepieces are consistently inaccurate. And nobody minds.
My class was scheduled from 10 until noon. Many students came late, some very late. Several arrived after 10:30. A few showed up closer to 11. Two came after that. All of the latecomers wore the relaxed smiles that I came, later, to enjoy. Each one said hello, and although a few apologized briefly, none seemed terribly concerned about lateness. They assumed that I understood.
The idea of Brazilians arriving late was not a great shock. I had learned about "manha," the Portuguese equivalent of "manana" in Spanish. This term, meaning "tomorrow" or, "the morning", stereotypes the Brazilian who puts off the business of today until tomorrow. The real surprise came at noon that first day, when the end of class arrived.